We enjoyed a wide variety of food and games from our country stalls including China, USA, Japan, Australia, Korea, Canada and many European countries.

Our arena hosted a variety of dance, games, band performances and an Ancient Chinese traditional dress parade with a Chinese tea ceremony.

All profit from the event goes to a local charity that supports migrant students' education in Suzhou.

Why do we have a UN Day?

Apart from the obvious fun and enjoyment, I have been asked “why do we have a UN Day?” Is it just to raise money for “charity”? What is more important, I have been asked, ”charity” or education? Importantly, we define an IB education as including attributes, behaviours and attitudes which support community action or “charity” – they are not two separate things.

What is the aim of an IB education?

To create a collaborative, global community united by a mission to make a better world through education. This is why a UN Day IS part of our education – it's not just a charity event! At the heart of an IB education is a commitment to community service and action (perhaps this is what reporters refer to as “charity”), intercultural understanding and international mindedness.

The IB initially established the Diploma or DP in 1968 to provide a challenging and comprehensive education that would enable students to understand and manage the complexities of our world and provide them with skills and attitudes for taking responsible action for the future. Responsible action is the “charity” which is the purpose of the fundraising aspect of the UN Day. This is only ONE aspect of why we have a UN Day. IB learners, as set out in the learner profile, strive to become inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective. They aim to help all members of the community; respect themselves, others and the world around them. What better way to focus on this than through our UN Day.

First CACHE Centre in Africa holds Open Day

Furthering their success in gaining recognition for their Centre, Maryam and Maggie decided to hold an Open Day to give information to schools in the area.

"The day was a great success and we were able to see the level of interest from several schools; we had lots of interest from the larger international schools and we anticipate a little more buy-in from more schools once we have established the first few programmes."

MOD Centre in Germany introduce online learning

The Service Children’s Education Quality Assurance and Assessment Centre (QAAC) have introduced online learning which has raised opportunities to provide training for wider groups of learners who would not otherwise be able to access training.

QAAC is unique amongst CACHE centres due to the number of countries they work in and learners they work with.

Most of the staff employed by this centre are family members of service personnel (Armed Forces).

The settings used for placements are often on Armed Forces bases and provide preschool or primary education for forces children. They have bases and learners throughout Germany, in Cyprus, Brunei, Belgium, Netherlands and Falkland Islands.

Over the years since first becoming a CACHE centre they have developed systems and resources to support both learners and staff that are quite different to those used by colleges and training providers in the UK.

CACHE Centre in Jordan welcomes first two students

The Little Academy in Jordan has recruited their first two students who started on the CACHE Level 1 Diploma in Caring for Children.

The Little Academy, which opened for learners in October 2013, offers training at their excellent facility in Jordan, where the students can learn theory in the classroom and observe practice in the established nursery and kindergarten.

Maha Al-Alami, Director of the Little Academy, explains her conviction in relation to opportunity for all which is one of the reasons behind her desire to open the Little Academy as a training centre.

“The Little Academy training centre is committed to create an environment where staff, learners and all who are related to the Little Academy community will celebrate equality and diversity in all activities."

“We respect all learners, staff and parents and value their differences and celebrate diversity. At the Little Academy training centre everyone is respected, welcomed, treated equally in a friendly way and has equal opportunities and equal access to all activities whenever or wherever possible."

“At the Little Academy training centre we help and encourage everybody to be successful."

Malta centre encourages women back into work

Up until a few years ago, Malta had a very low percentage of women in the labour market. The CACHE courses in child care and elderly care which Future Focus runs have created opportunities for many women to return to work.

Future Focus is owned by Rosanne Galea and is based in Floriana, Malta just outside Valletta and today it is the only private training organisation in Malta offering this training. Most of the successful students find employment or even open their own child care centres.

Future Focus offers training in many subjects including health and social care. There are around 500 students per year, 50% are from other countries. Maltese students come to study to enhance their career prospects while foreigners come to Malta to experience first-hand high quality training on a Mediterranean island with moderate climate all the year round. Rosanne Galea, director of Future Focus says:

"I recommend CACHE. This body provides support and ensures that Future Focus provides high quality training. There is a process of internal and external verification; this is important as the more professional we are, the better it is for our students. Ultimately, it is the children and their parents who benefit most from high quality training."

"We find the resources very good and the support excellent. Also, CACHE offers a range of programmes that are kept up to date with industry requirements and this is appreciated by our clients."

CACHE Centre celebrates 5th anniversary

In March 2013, Early Years Educational Services (EYES), who are based in Dubai, held a celebratory event to mark their 5th anniversary. They hosted a 2 day Early Years Conference which was the first of its kind in the UAE. Sarah Rogers, Director of EYES, said:

"We were pleased to welcome CACHE representatives to support this event, with Vicky Cortvriend delivering two speeches for us on the importance of a qualified workforce; this continues the tradition of the ongoing support we receive from CACHE. From the variety and quality of resources, to the support from the Information Centre, to the friendly approach and advice from our CACHE centre advisor and training providers, we have been happy with the support we have received. Tutors from EYES visit the UK and take part in CACHE training days, where we enjoy meeting colleagues from other CACHE Centres and networking to learn and share best practice."

EYES became an overseas CACHE centre in May 2008 and currently have over 220 students studying part time. The students that join EYES come from many backgrounds with many cultures and languages represented; EYES operates comprehensive equality and inclusive policies to meet their diverse needs and support the successful completion of their studies.

Early Years Educational Services (EYES) was set up in 2008 in Dubai by Sarah Rogers. EYES work with over 140 schools and nurseries in the region, having established strong relationships that meet the on-going needs of the local educational community.

EYES offer a wide range of CACHE qualifications, currently including:• CACHE Level 1 Award in an Introduction to Early Years Settings• CACHE Level 2 Certificate for the Children and Young People’s Workforce• CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People’s Workforce• CACHE Level 5 Diploma in Leadership in Children and Young Person’s Services (management pathway)• CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools

Hannah - Bermuda learning with MNT Training Ltd

Studying the CACHE Level 3 Children & Young People’s Workforce in the Caribbean.

Hannah wanted to study the CACHE Level 3 CYPW with us while still working as a nanny in Bermuda. Therefore, we reorganised the course for her so she could study the 'knowledge' elements of the course using our e-portfolio while still in Bermuda.

Hannah then arranged a UK nanny placement for a few weeks with a family she knew. We sent our assessor to Hannah's placement when she came to the UK so we could complete the 'work-based' assessment element of the course; this meant Hannah could complete most of the course in Bermuda and only needed to come to the UK for a few weeks.

Sara - Hong Kong learning with MNT Training Ltd

From CACHE Level 3 Children & Young People’s Workforce to online Early Years Foundation Degree.

Sara lives in Hong Kong and will soon be completing the CACHE Level 3 CYPW, which she has studied with us while working in Hong Kong. Sara completed most of the course online and then came to the UK for a short placement visit at a nursery so she could be assessed by one of our assessors. Sara is very keen to continue her studies and, on completion of her CACHE Level 3 CYPW, enrolled on our online Early Years Foundation Degree.

The course is 100% online, so Sara will be able to study while living and working in Hong Kong. Director of MNT Philippa Murray says:

“We know there are many learners based internationally who have Level 3 qualifications who would like to progress to a Foundation Degree. Many find this impossible due to a lack of courses in the country they are based in or due to cost. Our new online Early Years Foundation Degree is ideal for international learners due to its online flexibility and has the added benefit of very affordable fees.”

Nicola – Milan, Italy learning with MNT Training Ltd

Getting her staff trained on the CACHE Level 3 Children & Young People’s Workforce and studying her CACHE assessors qualification at the same time.

Nicola had previously studied with us here in the UK when working as a nanny and maternity nurse and some years later contacted us from Italy where she was managing a Kindergarten. Nicola had 4 members of staff who she wanted to get trained on the CACHE Level 3 CYPW (3 were English and 1 was Italian).

As it would have been difficult to arrange for all Nicola's members of staff to come to the UK for a placement, we came up with a novel solution! Nicola was already Level 3 qualified with several years early years experience, so she was able to become a trainee assessor for her own staff. Nicola enrolled on the CACHE assessor qualification (which studied entirely from Milan) and one of our own UK assessors 2nd line assessed (via our online e-portfolio system) all of Nicola's work until she qualified.

This has meant Nicola has been able to get all her staff enrolled on the CACHE Level 3 CYPW and has improved her own skills by studying the CACHE assessor qualification at the same time. All of this has been achieved without the requirement for her staff to come to the UK.

How beneficial has it been for you to gain your assessors qualification and act as the assessor for your staff?"Gaining my assessors qualification has been something that I had wanted to do for a long time; being able to do it long distance has been fantastic for me, but it has also provided me with the opportunity to offer our staff members the option of gaining a qualification. Being an EMT (English Mother Tongue) school outside of the UK this would have otherwise proven difficult - but with MNT we have all been able to develop our skills and knowledge. It is great to be able to offer this type of training to staff. I have also benefitted greatly from ‘refreshing’ my knowledge and I feel it has improved my skills greatly in the workplace."

How has it benefitted your setting by having your staff study the Level 3 Diploma with MNT?"It’s been really good for staff to have this opportunity and it has meant that we are able to offer higher positions to staff once they have qualified. It has been good for them to study together as they are able to support each other and share ideas. They are able to apply what they learn immediately and therefore our practice on the whole has improved. It is great for co-workers as they are able to ‘mentor’ the learners and that gives them confidence in themselves and their knowledge."

How have your staff enjoyed their Diploma studies to date?"They are really enjoying the course and like the fact that what they are learning is able to be applied immediately. They enjoy being able to share what they are learning with each other."

Would it have been possible/realistic for your staff to achieve their Diplomas if they had been required to return to the UK for a period of time to undertake the practical assessments of the course? "It would not have been impossible, but would have been impractical, and unlikely that they would have applied if they had had to go down this route. It has been a good experience for all of us and I feel that, seeing them every day, I am better able to assess them as I have a complete picture of their abilities though a wide range of activities."

Would you encourage other similar settings across the globe to follow the learning model you have adopted in Milan?"Absolutely! This has been very beneficial to me, the girls personally and also the setting as a whole."

How have your experiences of studying with MNT been?"I looked to MNT to do this course as I have a history of studying with them going back to 2008, and I have always found the staff to be extremely helpful and polite as well as experts in the field. They are always on hand to help should we have any queries and I would definitely be interested in doing other courses with them in the future."

Any further comments?"Only that I cannot speak highly enough of MNT and the experience I have had with them. I’m really pleased that we were able to do our courses with them and that MNT could not have been more helpful in making it possible."

Blossom ladies becoming Busy BEEs!

In March Blossom Education & Enrichment (BEE) Academy became an accredited CACHE Centre and they took on their first cohort of learners for the CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Early Years Workforce and Care. Their learners come from diverse teaching roles, and are excited to learn, plan, do and review! BEE is pioneering the program by using a web-based platform for its students- they are all about technology and finding innovative ways to turn the classroom into a space of active learning. Currently classes are held at Academic City and the Blossom Early Learning Center from 3-5pm, where students are expected to bring reflections from practice, challenge each other and devise methods of how to become even better practitioners.

Early Years Educational Services (EYES) Cache Centre

EYES were the first Cache centre in the Middle East, set up in 2008 by Sarah Rogers, the founder, owner and CEO, and in November 2016 we were delighted to be presented with a certificate to recognise this by Cache international manager Jackie Jones.

EYES were the first Cache centre in the Middle East, set up in 2008 by Sarah Rogers, the founder, owner and CEO, and in November 2016 we were delighted to be presented with a certificate to recognise this by Cache international manager Jackie Jones. At a short ceremony, attended by some of the local nursery owners and managers, Jackie expressed thanks on behalf of Cache, for the way that EYES have worked with all stakeholders to promote the need for high quality qualifications, and lead the way for other Cache centres in the region. Sarah was very happy to receive the award on behalf of her whole team and said that it was a pleasure to work with Cache to support her passion and vision of promoting high quality early years’ education for all young learners, and a great recognition of her hard working, highly experienced and professional team.

EYES received further recognition in January 2017 when they were awarded the runner up in the 2016 Gulf Capital SME MEED award for Best Small Business. This comes after winning the category in 2015, and Sarah said that this was a recognition of the ongoing work of a smaller independent company with a real passion for ensuring high quality early years’ provision in an ever changing and challenging environment.

February 2017 saw another award with EYES winning the MEA UAE Business Award for Best Teacher Training Programme. This award was further recognition of the hard work by the whole EYES team to ensure that all their courses are relevant, interesting, supportive and enjoyable for all learners.

At the end of February, Sarah was delighted to be named as one of the 23 UAE Educational Influences by WhichSchool Advisor in an online article about the impact her passion and expertise has had on early years educators in the UAE. Named as a ‘leading voice with an impact on the local preschool like no other’, the article was a tribute to Sarah’s beliefs, expertise and years of hard work, though Sarah noted that her achievements were down to her great team and that she would not have been able to achieve what she had on her own. Read the full article here.

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